The Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday voted narrowly to advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin's, R-Okla., nomination to serve as the secretary of homeland security.

The committee voted 8-7, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting against him and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., backing him. The remaining panel members voted on party lines, The Hill reported.

Mullin's confirmation hearing on Wednesday saw a number of tense moments, mostly between him and Paul over the Oklahoma lawmaker's previous comments about him.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., caused something of a stir when he pressed Mullin on a classified trip. Mullin later agreed to meet privately with the panel to provide details.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.